BAR
by Lagoruthel
Summary: Regina Mills is a 31 year old single mother, a well-paid journalist. Her friend Kathryn takes her out to have a little fun after she broke up with her boyfriend, Killian when he proposed to her. That's when she meets Emma Swan, a reckless young talent, who sings in a bar called BAR. Both scarred and full of fear, they begin to like each other. Slowburn SQ.
1. Chapter 1

**One**

"No, and for a hundredth time, no, Kathryn. I don't want to go to any kind of bar with you.

"Oh yes you do, Regina. A little night out will make you feel better."

Regina was nervously pacing back and forth in the living room, when a little boy appeared before her. "Mom, I'm hungry. Lets have dinner."

Regina pressed the phone to her chest and stroked the little boy's cheek. "In a second, honey, I just need to finish this call and then we'll eat, okay? The lasagna is ready."

The boy left the room grumpily.

"Hello-o-o, Regina, are you still there?"

"Look, Kathryn. Henry is hungry, it's getting late and I am not in the mood for a night out, nor spending my evening in a bar." She said irritably into the phone.

"Oh come on! It's only half past six. Henry can survive an evening without you anyway. Your mother is there and I'm sure she would willingly and happily take care of your son."

She had to agree with her friend this time. Her mother indeed liked taking care of Henry if Regina happened to have important interviews with famous people on the red carpet after a debut play or, as last time, was at the presentation ceremony for the new hospital. But she didn't want to burden her mother with too much, only two months after her husband's death. Her father's death.

"So what do you say?" Kathryn asked.

"Wait, someone rang the doorbell." The brunette took off her gloves, then hurried to the front door.

"Sooo?" Grinned her friend from the porch, as she waved her phone

Regina rolled her eyes and slammed the door without even saying a word.

"Who was it, dear?" Asked her mother, coming down the stairs.

"Uuuuuh, nobody. Just a carpet salesman." Said the brunette earnestly.

"Cora, It's me, Kathryn!" Came the voice from behind the closed door.

Cora strode to the entrance door flashing strict glances in her daughter's direction.

"Carpet salesman, right?" She invited the blonde in, shaking her head at Regina's mad manners. "I am so sorry Kathryn, Regina hasn't had quite a good day today." Eyeing her daughter, she added. "On second thought, she hadn't have one in the past two weeks."

Regina narrowed her eyes and forced a mocking smirk on her face.

"It's alright Cora. I am kinda used to it."

"Would you like to join/span us for dinner?"

"Oh no, thank you, but I actually came to take your daughter out. If it's alright."

Cora considered the options. She could ask Kathryn to take her daughter out for drinks another time, so they could have a calm family dinner together, but on the other hand she knew Regina needed to get some time to herself, without she having to worry about anything, just enjoy relaxing.

"You're free to go with her wherever, but on one condition. You two will have fun."

"Not a problem, Cora." The blonde winked at the old lady.

"Mother, I don't think it's a good idea.." The brunette started but her mother silenced her with her hand in the air.

"I don't want any arguments here. You'll be grateful for me. Just go. Have fun. I'll take care of Henry."

* * *

"I hate you." Regina said acrossly, staring out through the car window, arms crossed.

"I know, I hate you too. That's why we're best friends."

"Where are we going anyway?"

"To the BAR."

"What? THE bar? Please be more specific, dear."

"No, the place's is called BAR."

Regina looked suspiciously at her friend.

"It stands for Belle and Rumple. BAR. It's a cool place. They have live music every evening from 7 'til closing. My brother David, you know him, is their drummer."

"Yeah yeah whatever. I can't believe my mother let you do this to me. I should be with my son."

"That's exactly why she let me. You need some time to yourself Regina. You're beginning to go crazy." Kathryn made a sharp turn left at the next intersection, causing the driver of a blue car to curse loudly.

"What do you mean crazy?"

"You shouted at the postman last Tuesday because he stepped on your lawn."

"It was freshly mowed."

They both fell silent for the rest of the drive. Kathryn spoke only when they arrived and she killed the engine.

"Look, all I'm saying is that you get more and more frustrated each day and burying yourself in work is not good. Not for you, not Henry." When Regina didn't respond she continued. "Maybe you shouldn't have broken up with Killian."

"It was for the best." With that, she got out of the car and went into the bar.

* * *

The atmosphere was indeed quite pleasant. Even though the live performance was starting in 10 minutes, some ambient music was playing from tiny speakers. The place wasn't too crowded, but more and more people coming in every minute led to believe suggested it would soon be packed.

Regina spotted an empty booth not too far from the stage and decided to occupy it. She just took off her black trench coat and scarf when Kathryn joined her.

"I am so sorry Regina. I didn't want to-"

"It's okay Kathryn. Just sit down already."

The blonde did as she was told.

"It's just...you two were so perfect for each other and so in love, then all of a sudden..you kicked him out. When he proposed to you."

The brunette began fidgeting in her seat.

"It was the best for him." She sighed.

Kathryn didn't want to upset her friend anymore so she just dropped the topic and waved to the waitress.

"Good evening, can I take your order?" A short blonde woman came up to them.

"We would like two greek salads and a bottle of rosé."

"I'll be back in a moment." Said the waitress, whose name-tag stated she was called Tinker Bell.

After a long awkward silence, Kathryn spoke again. "So, what do you think?" she asked excitedly.

"That if the guy on the stage won't stop staring at me like I'm a piece of meat, I swear I will break the guitar in his hands and shove it as far up his buttocks as it goes."

"The blonde glanced toward the stage and noticed the staring man. She chuckled softly. "I don't think you want to do that. He's the son of this place's owners. Neal Gold, or as he prefers, Cassidy. He's actually quite a nice guy. And one of the band's guitarists."

* * *

"Hey, Emma." Neal called to the blonde woman next to him. "Who is that next to Kathryn?"

"Who cares? Just concentrate on the guitar and playing correctly." She snorted and continued fidgeting with the microphone cable, but glancing up once or twice to look at the brunette.

* * *

Regina poured wine for the both of them and they clinked their glasses before taking a sip. At that exact moment, someone's voice came from the speakers. The live music was about to begin and the musicians introduced themselves. One person, in particular.

"Hi, everyone, it's nice to see so many of you here today as well. For those who don't know us yet, we're the Ugly Duckling band and these are my bandmates, Neal Cassidy, Ruby Lucas and David Nolan. Oh and I am Emma Swan. Hope you'll all have a good time."

Regina couldn't take her eyes off of the stage. Emma Swan had a look that screamed for attention. Her voice was angelic.

"Oh mother, you were right. Thank you." She muttered under her breath.

* * *

 **A/N: Hi everyone! Just to be clear, this fic will contain many pairings with lots of characters (the loved and the not so loved ones too eg. Robin Hood, Captain Hook etc..) Slow burn, but eventually Swan Queen (hopefully hehe).**

 **If you liked this chapter fav, follow and leave a review! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Two**

The rest of the night passed by quickly. Too quick for Regina. As much as she didn't want to come, she had to admit that the place had some kind of magical vibe that the brunette didn't want to leave. The food, the drinks, the service and the music were all on point. Especially a certain blonde singer, who, as it turned out, could not only sing, but play the piano as well.

It was said blonde's announcement that jerked her out of her daze.

"We're gonna take a little break now, but don't go too far, we'll be back shortly." She hopped off of the stage and headed to the back of the bar. Kathryn noticed her friend staring after the blonde.

"I think I need to visit the bathroom." Regina spoke, and before Kathryn was able to say anything, she was already on her way.

* * *

Regina pushed open the bathroom's door and stepped into the small space. Looking around, she spotted the blonde, washing her hands. The brunette found her even more radiant face to face.

"Hi." The blonde said with a shy but sincere smile.

"Hello." Regina stepped a little closer to her and started to fix her make up and hair, like it was her purpose to came here.

"I hope you like the show."

Regina turned to her. "Of course. It's quite enjoyable."

"That wasn't very convincing." The blonde chuckled and leaned on the washbasin, arms crossed.

"You have a quite decent voice." Regina told her, hands on her hips.

"I'm Emma by the way."

"Regina."

"So, you're friends with Kathryn?"

"Yes, something like that."

"Well, then it was nice meeting you, Regina. Hopefully you will enjoy my _decent_ voice some more in the future."

"How do you know I'm coming again?" She asked, raising an eyebrow playfully. Emma turned back from the door.

"I can only hope."

* * *

"Oh, Regina, you're back!" Kathryn exclaimed from the counter and waved to her friend to join her. "Regina, this is Graham, Graham this is Regina, who I was telling you about!"

"It's a pleasure." He said taking her hand and kissing it. "I've heard a lot about you from Kathryn."

Regina could feel her cheeks heat up slightly. "Oh, uh, I hope just good things."

"You mean like that one time you got fired from the calendar factory because you took a day off?"

When Graham saw the bewildered look on the brunette's face he assured her Kathryn only told him nice stories about her.

"Can I get you ladies something?"

"No, thanks, I think I should be heading home now."

"Oh c'mon Regina, just one more drink, and then we can go. Please." Kathryn pleaded.

"Fine. But then let's go back to the booth."

"As you wish, your majesty." The brunette shot her a death glare. Her friends used to call her that way back in high school, as she was the most popular girl.

They spent two more hours in their booth. Kathryn kept babbling about Graham the whole time, but Regina wasn't really paying much attention to her drunken rambles. She just enjoyed the music. Although she felt annoyance creep its way back because Neal kept staring and occasionally winking at her during songs. To her luck, Emma announced their last song for the night. Her favorite.

"Our last song is Chasing Cars from Snow Patrol. I hope you'll enjoy it."

 _We'll do it all._

 _Everything,_

 _On our own._

"Omg Regina, it's your favorite song!"

 _We don't need,_

 _Anything,_

 _Or anyone._

"Shh, Kathryn, shut up, please." She glared at her and started murmuring the lyrics along with Emma.

 _If I lay here._

 _If I just lay here._

 _Would you lie with me_

 _and just forget the world?_

* * *

"How the hell are we going to get home? You drank and so did I!" Regina lamented. "It's already 1 am and we're the last ones here."

"Calm down, Regina. My brother will drive us both home. And besides, we're not the only ones here. Here come the Ugly Duckings." The blonde assured her.

"So, my ladies, ready for the journey?" David asked with his famous charming grin. Regina has known him as long as Kathryn, but he was the complete opposite of his older sister. He was modest, quiet, but always smiley.

"Hey, Davey, could you give me a lift as well?" Neal asked, throwing his arms over David's shoulders from behind.

"Sure thing. Ruby?"

"Oh, no thanks, Peter will be picking me up in a few minutes." The tall brunette replied.

"What about Emma?" David asked, looking around for the blonde.

"No need. I've got my own car." Came Emma's voice from the back.

"All right then, anyone who needs a lift, follow me." David shouted while waving the car keys in the air. "Good night Tink, Graham."

The four of them stepped out into the chilly October night. Regina involuntarily hugged herself.

"Are you cold?" Neal asked. "Here, have this." He handed her his coat.

"Oh, no I am not."

"I can see you shivering. Just take it." He insisted and put it on her. "Better?"

Regina slowly nodded and smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you,uh..."

"Neal Cassidy. You're very welcome."

"Regina Mills."

When they arrived to Kathryn's car, Neal opened the door for her.

A few moments later they were all settled in the car, when Regina spotted Emma wearing a red leather jacket walking up to a yellow bug. She headed north while the four of them south, but Emma noticed them and bonked the horn before she disappeared into the night.

Regina was the first David dropped off. Climbing out of the car she was about to hand the coat back to Neal but he stopped her.

"Keep it."

Regina looked at him questionably.

"At least, there will be a reason for you to come again. For example tomorrow, at 1 pm."

Was he asking her out on a date?

"Just a some chatting over lunch. But only if you want to."

"Of course she wants to." Kathryn chimed in. Regina could drown her in a spoon of water.

"Great. Then I'll see you tomorrow." Neal beamed and closed the door.

Regina just stood there for a moment, cursing her friend and her big mouth.

She unlocked the front door and headed to the sitting room. The house was so silent, Henry and her mother must have been long asleep.

"How was your night, honey?" Cor

a asked her. Regina jumped back, startled. "I'm sorry, did I scare you?" Her mother chuckled.

"It was rather delightful." She answered flatly. "But I am really exhausted. I think I will go sleep now."

"Very well then. Me too, because the only reason I'm still up is to wait for you. Henry is fast asleep."

Regina kissed her mother goodbye and headed to her bedroom. She kicked her stilettos off and fell into bed as she was, in her dress, not caring enough to change.

She's having a date tomorrow. With Neal. Thanks to Kathryn.

"I swear, you'll pay for this."

* * *

 **A/N: Hello dear readers. Hope you liked this chapter. Reviews are highly appreciated ! Otherwise I won't know whether you like it or not. ;)**

 **tumblr: _nightingale-swan  
_ instagram: _ouat_heat_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Three**

Regina woke up the next morning to the sound of the alarm clock. She reluctantly opened her eyes, growling in frustration when she checked the time. It was 8:30 am.  
The sun was barely up in the sky, yet her phone flashed a notification that she got either a missed call or a message. She grabbed it from the nightstand. It was a text message from Kathryn. Anger came over her as she read the message.

 _Don't forget your date with Mr Cassidy, your Majesty. xx Kat_

She hated her best friend more than she ever had before. Kathryn had done awful and reckless things that made Regina really angry with her, but this time it was just too much. How dare she speak on her behalf and agree to a date? The last thing she wanted was a man in her life. Other than her son Henry, of course.

She slipped out of her queen-sized bed and went straight to the bathroom to clean and freshen herself up a bit.

As she splashed warm water on her face, she exhaled deeply and tried to clear her mind from the swirling thoughts that piled up in her mind. She really did not want to go to lunch with Neal Cassidy, no matter how charming and warm his attitude and looks may be. She needed time to get a grip on her life after it sort of fell apart once again. Kathryn's words echoed in her head.

 _Maybe you shouldn't have broken up with Killian._

Truth be told, she did not really know why she broke up with him. He was a very nice, devoted and loyal man. He treated her well, like she was fragile glass figurine that could be broken with the slightest pressure. He treated Henry well. Henry loved him, too. He looked up to him. Killian was the father that the boy never had. It broke her heart when the little boy kept asking when Killian will come home and she needed to break it to him that he wouldn't. His expressions changed in an instant from joy to confusion.

The brunette wiped away the few drops of tears that slid down her cheeks and with one final glance at her reflection, she pushed the door open and headed down the stairs.

* * *

"Good morning, honey." Her mother greeted her as she slid onto one of the stools beside the kitchen counter. "I hope you've slept well."

"Fairly well." She answered flatly.

"I hope you drop this attitude before your lunch date today. It would be a shame if you lost your chance at happiness."

Regina just rolled her eyes in a typical Regina way - as her friends and family label it.

"Kathryn told you about it, didn't she?"

"She may have mentioned it briefly. But don't you dare go after her because of it! She wants the best for you and so does everybody else. You should at least appreciate her efforts."

"You always say that, 'We do this for you'. The only flaw is that you _never_ ask what _I_ want." The brunette jumped off the stool and stormed to the front door.

"Where are you going?" Cora shouted after her furious daughter. "You didn't even eat your breakfast!"

"I am not hungry," she growled as she slammed the door.

* * *

Regina walked down the whole route down to the bar. She needed to let off steam and calm her nerves a bit. It was only 10 in the morning and her supposed date with Neal was discussed to begin at 1 pm. What the hell was she going to do for 4 hours?

She stopped before the bar's entrance. The sign still said 'Closed'.

"Great, now what?" She mused audibly.

As if someone could sense her presence or hear her words, the door opened with a chime of a bell.

A certain blonde woman with greenish eyes and a sheepish grin greeted her.

"Good morning, Regina."

The brunette smiled back at her. "Good morning, Emma. I'm sorry, I thought you were open."

"Actually, we'll be open in an hour. I just came down for a short rehearsal for tonight's show."

The blonde opened the door wider and gestured with her hands to Regina to come in. "You can come in if you would like though. You won't bother me and besides, I usually do a better job if someone is watching."

Regina hesitated first, but then, she didn't have anything else to do. She stepped into the bar and stood awkwardly not too far from the blonde.

"You can take a seat. No need to stand there." Emma chuckled at the brunette's awkwardness and went straight to the stage.

The bar felt so strange and empty without the crowd and the pleasant music.

Emma sat before the piano as Regina slid into a booth and took off her coat. Suddenly, she was talking into the microphone, startle the brunette a little.

"Welcome, ladies and gents, it's so nice having you here on this cloudy morning. My name is Emma Swan and I'd like to play a song that I hope you will enjoy."

The melody Emma started playing on the piano was quite familiar to Regina and as soon as she began singing the lyrics, she recognized it.

 _Making my way downtown,_  
 _Walking fast,_  
 _Faces pass_  
 _And I'm home bound._

Even without any further musical instruments it sounded very enticing. It seemed like she was born to do this.

 _If I could fall,_  
 _Into the sky,_  
 _Do you think time,_  
 _Would pass me by?_  
 _'Cause you know I'd walk_  
 _A thousand miles_  
 _If I could_  
 _Just see you_  
 _Tonight._

When the song ended, Emma spoke into the microphone again. "Where I my manners, would you like something to drink, Regina?" She said as she rose from her seat and went to the counter.

"Oh, uh, just a glass of water."

Emma scrunched her nose in disapproval. "How about a glass of apple cider?"

"Only if you join me, dear."

"Two glasses of apple cider to table five then." She announced cheerfully.

The blonde woman poured two glasses for them and joined the brunette at the table, sitting opposite her. Regina said a quiet thank you and grabbed her booze. Normally she wouldn't drink any kind of alcoholic beverages this early in the morning, but when Emma offered it, she had to accept. And after all it was her favourite booze.

They clinked their glasses and fell silent for a few seconds as they tasted their drinks.

"It is quite satisfying." Regina mused.

"Indeed. I've had better though. Once upon a time in Boston."

The brunette raised her eyebrows curiously. "Boston?"

"My birthplace."

"You're not a local?"

"I am, but just since the age of 14."

"I see. Family moved here?"

Emma didn't answer right away. It seemed like she didn't know what to say. Or more like, she didn't _want_ to say it.

"I mean it's none of my business-"

"Yes, we moved here. My father got a new job here, so we needed to move." She said eventually.

"Oh. It must have been tough for you, leaving your home town so young; leaving behind your friends and school."

"Yeah, it was...but life goes on and we need to adapt to changes." She smiled warmly. "But my life is boring, so...I wouldn't have thought I would see you again so soon."

"I didn't either, trust me, but actually I'm having a date with your band mate, Neal."

"It sounds like you don't really want it." The blonde laughed at Regina's bitter expression. "He's a nice guy, you'll see for yourself."

"I'm sure."

Emma dropped the topic and tried to bring up something else.

They chatted about some ordinary things. It turned out Regina was quite the famous journalist, who Emma believed to have seen before in the news or at least read some her work, because her name and face was familiar from the moment they first met in the bathroom the day before.

At 11, the owners of the bar entered along with the staff members—and so did Regina's date.

"I thought we agreed on a 1 pm lunch." Neal grinned widely at her and went for two cheek kisses, much to the brunette's surprise. "Morning, Emma. How come you're here so early?"

"I came down for a little rehearsal and Regina volunteered to lector my 'work'. But I don't mean to intrude. You two enjoy your date," and with that, she disappeared to the back of the bar.

* * *

Emma was right. Neal indeed was a very pleasant company and a nice man. He was well educated, funny and a real gentleman. He made sure the brunette enjoyed every second of their lunch.

"So, Regina, you're a journalist. That must be a pretty cool, albeit inauspicious job."

Regina put her fork down as she finished her meal and grabbed the napkin to wipe her mouth. "Indeed it is. Sometimes I am not sure I am good enough to do it. The media is nasty and takes every opportunity to drag you down for the money. However, I am not writing for tabloids, only for noted and reliable publications."

"Is it possible I may have seen you on the red carpet before? With an actor, what was his name... Jones? Killian Jones?"

Regina's smile faltered. Yes, he may have seen her. The whole event was broadcasted live.

The famous and devilishly handsome actor, Killian Jones and his journalist girlfriend, Regina Mills on the red carpet together.

"I'm sorry, am I being impolite?" Neal asked when he saw the look on the woman's face.

"No, I'm sorry, I just… Yes, you may have seen me."

Her phone buzzed seconds after. It was a message from her mother.

"I am really sorry, but I need to go home. It's something important."

"It's okay. I'm gonna pay in a second and then we can go."

Regina nodded and started putting on her coat. In her rush she didn't realize her scarf fell to the floor. They were out in the cold air when Tinker Bell noticed it and shouted after them.

"What's wrong, Tink?" Emma asked from behind her. She was just about to leave too when she saw the young woman's resigned look.

"A customer left her scarf here."

"Who?"

"The woman who was with Neal." She showed her the length of dark, soft fabric.

"I'll give it back to her."

Tinker Bell just shrugged and tossed the scarf across the bar to Emma.

* * *

 **A/N: Guess who's back with a new chapter? I don't know if anyone reads this at all, but if you do, I would appreciate some review and feedback :)**

 **Special thanks to my beta _Rae !_**


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